South Africa: After Four Years, the Boks Are Back in Gqeberha for a Test With Deep Local Roots

6 July 2025
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)

Nearly four years have passed since the Springboks last played a Test match in Gqeberha. Their arrival on Sunday sparked a wave of excitement in Nelson Mandela Bay as fans gathered to welcome the team.

The Boks are preparing for their next Test against Italy, at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on 12 July, following their uneven and at times sloppy performance during the first Test in Pretoria on Saturday.

The Springboks secured a 42-24 victory over Italy at Loftus Versfeld. They led 28-3 in the first half, with tries from Jesse Kriel, Morné van den Berg (two) and Kurt-Lee Arendse.

In the second half, Italy mounted a comeback, with tries from Manuel Zuliani, Pablo Dimcheff, and Niccolò Cannone narrowing the deficit. A late try from Marco van Staden sealed the win for the Boks.

It was South Africa's narrowest home win over Italy in 15 years -- enough for coach Rassie Erasmus to call the performance "disappointing" and raise concerns about the team's consistency over 80 minutes.

Nelson Mandela Bay's connection to this team runs deep: captain Siya Kolisi is from Gqeberha. While Erasmus, the coach who has been instrumental in shaping the team's recent dominance is from Despatch....

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